Faith seems risky to some. And, at certain times, to a-l-l of us. Faith in God. Faith in people. Faith in your ability to have what (and, sometimes, who) you want in life. Faith enough to believe again when you’ve been disappointed.

Yet it’s only when we let go of the controls and act in trust that our life opens UP and dreams start brushing their scarves against our faces, letting us see what’s possible.

Fear never got us anywhere, let’s be honest. It’s a prison, a limbo game that continues long after your back begins to hurt from all the repeated bending to pressure.

Fear wants your undoing in its hands, and to lock you right there, raw and blistered by disappointment. Fear says that things will never change, never improve, and that trying isn’t worth it - now, or anymore.

I’ve seen the devil try to knock me out with fear and neutralize my gifts via tragedy. (Satan loves to engage your shock and insecurities, fabricate stories in your mind that aren’t true, and isolate you. Can’t you feel him smile when you suffer?)

Examples of his efforts: My parents’ sudden divorce when I was seven. The day I walked through the yard of my home that had burned to the ground, and looked up at my charred treehouse. The night my dad died at home of a massive heart attack in my mid-20’s, a few months before my wedding. And when my mom had a big stroke a few years ago. Many of these things happen to many people. Yet when they happen to you, it’s the first time. And they can make you wonder about hope and faith.

My dad’s favorite swear word was ‘Shi*’ and, believe me, I’ve learned it happens. But what happens NEXT is all that matters. And faith is all that will get you through, and into NEXT, and into love for yourself and other people again.

Try believing once more in the good things you may currently doubt. Believe the best in God, the best in the people in your life, the best for yourself and your destiny, and fear not a stranger.

You deserve a smile that comes from a deep well, instead of a disguise for dread. Pick up the phone. Say hello. Believe the sunshine is for you.